Mr. Gasket 1966 Chevrolet Suburban ‘Lime Crush’

One of the more eye-catching vehicles I saw at SEMA 2013 was this 1966 Chevrolet Suburban at the Mr. Gasket booth. Nicknamed “Lime Crush,” this vehicle is the perfect southern California hot rod/surf wagon.

This classic Suburban was built by The Roadster Shop in Mundelein, IL. You may remember them as the same guys who built the C1RS Corvette and other fine custom cars. I love their work, and this vehicle is no exception.

Under the hood is a GM ZZ454 crate motor that very likely cost more than my first year of college. Dyno information wasn’t available, but a ZZ454 in stock trim makes 440 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque – which is plenty enough to get things movin’. The whole engine is decked out with Mr. Gasket accessories including carb, intake, valve cover, and exhaust gaskets, Mr. Gasket thermostat, PCV valve, and more.

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1967 Chevrolet Camaro Restomod by Ultimate Auto

If the above photo doesn’t stop you in your tracks, you had better check your pulse to make sure you’re still alive!

This sizzling hot 1967 Chevrolet Camaro was on display at the BASF booth at SEMA 2013. The car was built by Ultimate Auto in Orlando, Florida. Nicknamed “Ultimate Sixty Seven,” this car looks absolutely stunning in BASF R-M Carizzma “Ruthless Red” paint.

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Ringbrothers 1964 Ford Fairlane 500 “Afterburner”

There are a lot of hot rod shops all around the country that build show cars for SEMA, but none of them grab attention quite like the Ringbrothers. Based in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Ringbrothers was founded by brothers Mike and Jim Ring.

They’ve made a name for themselves as world-class car builders, and I had the priviledge of checking out one of their creations at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. This is their take on a 1964 Ford Fairlane 500, which they have nicknamed “Afterburner.”

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The Roadster Shop’s 1966 Chevelle

When it comes to muscle cars, I have a soft spot for well-done pro-touring builds. This 1966 Chevelle from The Roadster Shop has not only been restored, it’s been improved to perform better than it did when new!

We’ve featured The Roadster Shop’s work in the past when we covered their gorgeous 1962 Corvette C1RS from Barrett-Jackson 2013. This car was featured in Super Chevy magazine in December 2007. I saw it at the Fountain Hills Concours in February 2014, wearing a set of Canadian plates.

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1969 Mercury Cougar Convertible ‘Cool Cat’

As a seasoned attendee of SEMA, Barrett-Jackson and other car shows, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at resto-modded muscle cars. I can tell you that Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, Chevelles, Novas,  GTOs, Chargers, and similar cars are by far the most popular models that people restore. At these events, a car like a first-generation Mercury Cougar would be a real stand-out for the sheer novelty of being something different that you haven’t seen a hundred times before.

This 1969 Mercury Cougar convertible scores points for originality and hits a home run for being an extremely well done build. Nicknamed the “Cool Cat,” it was built by Hot Rod Express out of Blue Springs, Missouri.

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1965 Ford Mustang GTS Fastback ‘Bad Apple’

While walking around at Barrett-Jackson 2014, I spotted this ’65 Mustang Fastback nicknamed “Bad Apple.” Honestly, it looked so good I thought it was a Ringbrothers car at first glance. The shaved door handles and no side mirrors give it a really sleek, streamlined look. As it turns out, this car was actually built by Jim Green’s Performance Center in Monroe, WA.

On the one hand, this is a really nice build. The work that has gone into this car is first rate and I truly believe that it was a $200,000 build, as mentioned in the auction notes. On the other hand, this car exemplifies just how ridiculous the muscle car world has become.

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